Samuel Rubel Trujillo

Samuel R. Trujillo died Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in his home in Durango. He was 74.

The son of Jose Anastasio Trujillo and Anita Aguirre Trujillo, Mr. Trujillo was born in Pagosa Junction on Dec. 3, 1938. He spent his youth in the Pagosa Junction area with his parents and siblings. He attended school there and served in the U. S. Navy, receiving a medical discharge in 1962.

As a boy, Mr. Trujillo was discovered by cartoonist and filmmaker, Fred Harman, creator of the Red Ryder comic strip and movie hero. Harman chose Mr. Trujillo to play the role of Little Beaver in his movies and to travel around the country.

When that career ended, Mr. Harman returned to Colorado before entering the Navy. He lived in Durango for his remaining years.

Although unable to work because of his health, Mr. Trujillo enjoyed music and followed the Denver Broncos. He also treasured time with his sister, Angie, his nieces and nephews and friend, Tom Casper, a Durango health-care worker.